Whispering Angel Rosé Wine Review | The Pride of Provence?

Whispering Angel has become the headline act for Provence rosé in recent years.

It is part of the Chateaux d'Esclans wine portfolio, well known for its spellbinding rosés.

But, what makes it stand out and does it offer good value for money?

Well, I've just finished tasting the 2022 vintage and here's what I thought.

Wine Specs

This is a popular, big selling wine but it’s made by winemakers of some regard.

And despite its high volume of production, the process is exact at every stage, with the quality of the fruit being of tantamount importance.

To ensure the freshness of the fruit, it is hand-picked in the morning when it’s cool and machine-picked at night when it’s cold. It’s all then hand-sorted at the winery to ensure only the highest quality grapes remain.

They’re then gently pressed under a blanket of nitrogen gas to prevent oxidation from affecting the grapes.

That freshness of the fruit is preserved by fermenting the wine in stainless steel tanks with the temperature controlled very carefully.

Appearance

On first glance it looks almost like an orange wine. While I'll call it light salmon pink in color, there's certainly a hint of orange in there.

Upon writing this I wonder if my bottle had been slightly spoiled. There was no notable damage to the cork and everything else seemed in order. That orange-ish color just seems unusual and it's an observation I haven't encountered about this wine. I guess I'll just need to try another bottle!

Nose

The nose is very delicate. I've been reviewing lot's of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc recently (which is definitely not subtle) so I appreciate the more refined notes on this rosé.

There's a light, fresh strawberry note, with some peach, and watermelon. It's all very light and delicate. I thought it would be more floral but there's nothing there on the nose for me.

Tasting

That freshness comes through on the palate. Again, it's very delicate, with a light strawberry coming through, making way to citrus fruit. Citrus comes in the way of pink grapefruit and lemon.

It’s bone dry and acidic, leading to a crisp finish of considerable length.

The flavors are soft, and subtle but they have a real depth and persistence. It’s really quite rich in those fresh flavors. It's remarkable that such light flavor has such staying power on the palate.

That depth of flavor must come from the quality of the fruit (the Grenache vines are said to be around 100 years old) and the determination to preserve its freshness at each step of the winemaking process.

There's an elegant richness in flavor here that's not often seen in wine costing twenty bucks.

Score

The 2022 Chateaux d'Esclans Whispering Angel Rosé scores an impressive 8/10 from me.

It's a wonderfully mellow and fresh rosé wine that exudes quality with the depth of the fruit.

I was really impressed with the persistence of that flavor, with those beautiful light fruit notes lingering for an eternity on the palate.

It's a well-balanced, light and refreshing wine that will pair exceptionally well with grilled fish and soft (mild) cheese.

Buy this for lunches in the sun with friends or even just as a sipper. It's an iconic wine that deserves its status as the current benchmark for Provence rosé.

If you're ever lucky enough to see this rosé at Costco for less than twenty bucks then you have a serious bargain on your hands!

How would you score this wine? Post your score down in the comments section!